Big or little in conservation

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

" Big " and " Small " are such relative terms. Here in NC

I run 22 head of cattle, on 28 acres and I am small

with about half the average number for the state. I

just met Bob Cordova, Vice President of the National

Association of Conservation Districts from Colorado,

who runs 220 cow/calf pairs on 4000 acres and he is

considered small out there.

Today I was at a board meeting where we approved two

applicatons and contracts. One was for 75% cost share

on a manure spreader to help a young farmer do a

better job of utilizing his poultry waste. The other

was 75% to convert row crop land to grass land for

water quality issues. This is a semi retired lady who

has a small acreage that she wants to maintain and

conserve. Here in NC about half our contracts are for

less that $10,000.00 and are very effective. Very few

of our contracts are for more than $25,000 in any year

and most are for mortality disposal, something I think

should be considered the cost of doing business. After

all, if you are already borrowing $125,000 per house

to build 4 large poultry houses, what is $10,000 for a

spreader, $20,000 for a manure shed or $6500 for an

incerator?

A major land owner/operator in Eastern NC has

converted over half his 8000 acres to conservation

uses in the past 10 years. He has received payments of

over half a million dollars to do so. BUT he has spent

more than a million to make even more improvements. I

have heard people critize Ted for taking almost

a million in public money in 3 states to install

conservation practices. He has spent $70 million

buying land and about $130 million more restoring over

60 thousand acres of short grass prarie to as close to

original as possible. I think the tax payers got a

good deal there.

Bill Dunlap

Bill Dunlap

--- Betsy Hultin wrote:

> Just making an observation. (I also forgot there are

> thin skins here

> as well. :-) <relax, insert 'breathe and smile'

> here.>

>

> But, really, how many small farmers can pull their

> $10,000 matching

> funds out right now without going into some debt? I

> do not know any. A

> few hundred dollars, yes. But not something to get

> them ahead fast

> like a big corp. Those big corps take advantage of

> what was meant for

> the small man.

>

>

> Betsy

> Cosby, TN

>

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ